Antidote 2021

Antidote salutes alternative artists who are continuously subverting expectations and exploring new sounds—and few had a more impactful year doing that than Sam Fender, who released his second No. 1 album, Seventeen Going Under. After the pin-sharp social observation of his debut, 2019’s Hypersonic Missiles, the North Shields singer-songwriter turned his attention inward, examining his own internal wiring and the life events that shaped him. It was all done with emotional eloquence and nerveless candour, while enriching his songwriting with new shades of Americana and indie rock. “I’m a bit more honest about my shortcomings as a person and as a friend,” he told Apple Music. “There’s a lot of things that I’ve let go of, that I held on to with a real bitterness for a lot of years. I was carrying a lot of pain around, and with writing this, I’ve been able to put some of those things to bed—which has been very, very humbling and good for the soul. I feel like it is a celebratory record, full of hope and yearning.” Alongside him, Arlo Parks was just as emotionally exposed as she won the Mercury Prize for her bittersweet debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams, and Inhaler, Royal Blood, The Lathums and Wolf Alice all dropped chart-topping albums while redefining their sound. And standout tracks from Glass Animals, Wet Leg, Holly Humberstone, Orla Gartland, PinkPantheress and Alfie Templeman were reminders of the boundless possibilities for alternative music. Listen to some of the year’s most original artists here—and if you hear something you like, don’t forget to add it to your library.